good morning. round one, romney. an energetic mitt romney comes out firing with a strong performance in the first presidential debate. >> virtually everything he said about my tax plan is inaccurate. your title as a president, you own an airplane and a house, but not your own facts. >> the president did not seem to on his game. can one night change the race? "today" exclusive, matt's rare and revealing interview with facebook ceo mark zuckerberg, how does he deal with the spotlight? and does he take responsibility for his company's recent struggles? >> the question i ask myself and i hear over and over, if a company has a billion customers, how can they not be killing it

making money? >> that answer as the social network reaches a major milestone today. and remember the school bus monitor taunted by middle schoolers. what she's doing to turn her story into something positive today, thursday, october 4th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on this thursday morning. i'm savannah gurthrie. >> we both had a late night. >> a lot of coffee. >> exactly. this debate as we know was billed as make or break for mitt romney. and by all accounts he made it last night, the clear winner. >> from the start, romney controlled the direction of the debate, aggressively pushing

president obama on the economy, job creation, and health care. we're going to talk to top advisers about how their candidates faired just ahead. we're also going to talk with chris matthews who had very strong feelings about the debate. but we want to begin with chuck todd, chief white house correspondent in denver this morning. chuck, good morning to you. >> reporter: well, good morning, savannah. look, this may have been the most substantive debate in the television era. and mitt romney dealt with it as if his campaign depended on it while a subdued president obama let romney dictate the terms of the debate. not exactly the gift the president was looking for on his 20th wedding anniversary. >> and so i just want to wish, sweetie, you happy anniversary and let you know that a year from now we will not be celebrating it in front of 40 million people. >> reporter: from the very beginning, mitt romney displayed a confident and commanding presence on stage, almost one-upping the president from

the start. >> congratulations to you, mr. president, on your anniversary. i'm sure this was the most romantic place you can imagine here with me. >> that set the tone as romney seemed to control the tempo, sometimes even serving as the moderator. >> let's get back to medicare. >> reporter: and it didn't take long for the deep philosophical disagreements to come through. first on taxes. >> now, governor romney's proposal that he's been promoting for 18 months calls for a $5 trillion tax cut on top of $2 trillion of additional spending for our military. and he is saying that he is going to pay for by closing loopholes and deductions. the problem is he's been asked over 100 times how you would close those deductions and loopholes and he hasn't been able to identify them. >> virtually everything he said about my tax plan is inaccurate. if the tax plan he described, i would say absolutely not. i'm not looking for a $5 trillion tax cut. what i've said is i won't put in place a tax cut that adds to the

deficit. >> for 18 months he's been running on this tax plan. and now, five weeks before the election, he's saying that his big bold idea is never mind. >> let me repeat what i said. i'm not in favor of a $5 trillion tax cut, that's not my plan. >> reporter: another stark difference, medicare, one of the few times the president played aggressor. >> it's called premium support, but it's understood to be a voucher program. >> and you don't support that? >> i don't. and let me explain why. >> again, that's for future people, not current retirees. >> so if you're 54 or 55, you might want to listen because this, this will affect you. >> reporter: still, romney seemed to control many of the back and forths, even the lighter moments. >> i apologize, mr. president, i use that term with all respect. >> i like it. >> good. >> the difference in their debate demeanors was most evident during the closing statements. >> you know, four years ago we

were going through a major crisis. and yet, my faith and confidence in the american future is undiminished. >> this is an important election, and i'm concerned about america. i'm concerned about the direction america has been taking over the last four years. >> you know, four years ago i said that i'm not a perfect man and i wouldn't be a perfect president and that's probably a promise that governor romney thinks i've kept. but i also promised i'd fight every single day on behalf of the american people. >> you can look at the record. there's no question in my mind that if the president were to be reelected you'll see a middle class squeeze with incomes going down and prices going up. i'll get incomes up again. >> reporter: busy day on the campaign trail, the president does rallies here in denver, then flies to madison, wisconsin for a big rally this afternoon. mitt romney, nothing here, but flies to virginia and has a rally with his running mate paul

ryan. >> chuck todd, thank you. david axelrod is a senior adviser to president obama's reelection campaign. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah, how are you doing? >> we all know the president is a fiercely competitive man, was he satisfied with that performance? >> well, i think one aspect of the president he's never satisfied, he's always challenging himself, i think. but you know, savannah i was with you last week and i joked that mitt romney put more preparation into it than they did into the invasion in normandy and you saw last night. i expected a strong performance, got a strong performance, but that's what it was, a performance. the underlying facts remain the underlying facts. he denied what has been the centerpiece of his campaign, a $5 trillion tax cut. he again refused to offer any way to pay for it, and the bottom line is what the analysts have said. this means either he's going to explode the deficit or he's going to stick it to the middle class with a $2,000 tax

increase. and if that happens, how's that going to move our economy forward or build the middle class? so the fundamental distinctions on this and many other issues remain what they were before the debate. >> let me back up one moment. it sounds like you're acknowledging the president was out debated and less prepared than mitt romney. why is that? >> i didn't say he was outdebated. he treated the american people like adults and told them the truth, which was a fundamental distinction between him and governor romney. governor romney said i'll repeal obama care and keep all the good parts and i'll tell you later how i'm going to do it. we'll roll back wall street reform and we'll keep all the good parts and i'll tell you later how i'm going to do it. i'll cut taxes, but i'll tell you later how we're going to pay for it. defense spending, how we're going to pay for it, and fundamentally, this was his pattern all night long. but what i said last week was that i thought he'd give a strong performance, and he did

give a strong performance, but that's what it was, a performance. the american people want the honest truth about where we need to go as a country, how we rebuild this economy, the middle class. and that's what the president did last night. and people respect that. >> you know, david, a lot of your supporters were dismayed and frankly mystified to not hear the president go after romney on things like his remarks on the 47% of america. he didn't repeat bain capital attacks, attacks about the tax return, these are staples of your campaign. has he abandoned those attacks? or did he make a strategic decision not to be aggressive in this debate? >> no, he made a decision to discuss fundamental issues facing this country. there's no doubt these are issues in the campaign. your past, your record are part of the campaign. governor romney's past at bain capital is what he's running on. he made the remarks kind of writing off 47% of the country. but people know that, savannah, and what they were looking for last night were real, honest

distinctions on the issue. the president gave those distinctions and did it in an honest way. governor romney did not. and he will be held to account for that i'm sure. >> will he change his approach for the next debate? there will be a remark as we know. will we see a more aggressive president? >> well, i know he's looking very much forward to the debate on the -- on the 16th. and i'm not -- i'll lead it to the critics to decide whether, you know, how his performance rates on that day. but i know this, he will come, he will make an honest argument with the american people about how to rebuild the economy and the middle class and he'll hold governor romney to account for these big gaffes in the truth we saw last night. >> thanks for your time. appreciate it. nine minutes after the hour, here's david. team romney, ed gallespie is an adviser to the campaign. what did governor romney achieve

last night? >> i think you had millions of americans watching governor romney, seeing him, many of them for the first time, and a chance to look at him without 30-second attack ads and 12 second snippets on the news. and you saw someone with the facts who understands what we need to do to get the country moving again. who had a plan to move us forward. and i think that they also saw someone with a record of being able to work across the aisle to get results for his state and someone who would do the same thing for his country. >> one of the charges against governor romney and it came from the president and others that while he put in a strong performance, still gaps in what he'd do, understanding what he'd done in key areas. one is balancing the budget. he talked about simpson/bowles. he didn't back them. in fact, they've looked at his own plan and says he wants to extend the bush tax cuts, he wants to increase military

spending and rejected a 10 to 1 ratio when it came to cutting spending and raising revenue. so the math simply doesn't add up, does it? >> it does, david, actually. there have been six studies that have analyzed what governor romney has proposed in terms of lowering tax rates and expanding the base. it would result in economic growth again. and six of those studies say that this could be done very credible studies without increasing the deficit. in fact, a study came out as i'm sure you know on tuesday that said president obama would raise taxes on middle class families by $4,000 in order just to meet the debt service that he's racking up with $16 trillion in debt now on our way to $20 trillion if he's reelected. i think the american people saw governor romney's plans for the future. we didn't hear much, frankly, from president obama about any second-term agenda, and he didn't have a very credible defense of his first term agenda. and i think the american people saw that last night.

>> on health care he says he would repeal obama care, but he wants to protect those who are getting care with pre-existing conditions. a nonpartisan study came out and said there'd be 89 million americans who would have gap in that coverage and under president romney would not be covered. >> governor romney's made clear when he repeals obama care, which as you know has a very negative impact, not only on our economy in terms of jobs loss, but the cost of premiums have gone up by $2,500, they go up by another $2,500 if president obama's reelected. and what romney has put forward is a plan to repeal it but also replace it to hold down cost through competition. but also he's not saying we're not going to have a regulated marketplace in health care. there's a role for government in health care. and one of those roles is to ensure that people who have coverage for pre-existing conditions are able to maintain that coverage. and that's part of governor romney's plan. >> the debate will continue. thanks very much this morning, i

appreciate it. >> thank you, david. well, chris matthews was very vocal about president obama's performance following the debate. here's some of what he had to say. >> certainly there was no bobby kennedy in the green room before barack obama came out tonight. i don't know what he was doing out there. he had his head down, he was enduring the debate rather than fighting it. i don't know how he let romney get away with the crap he threw out tonight. >> i agree. >> about social security. where was obama tonight? >> and chris matthews joins us now. chris, really, tell us how you really feel. you're a supporter of president obama. what do you think happens? >> yeah. well the way the president handled it was just not up to the task. romney was able to talk about things like funding for pbs and never had explained his position supporting bankruptcy for the american auto industry. obama rescued the american auto industry, our largest industrial industry, it never came up. on the very heart of the romney economic plan, on the tax cut,

why did he insist on the deductions? they're not details, the president called them. they're not loopholes, they're mortgag mortgages, charitable deductions, state and local. huge issues at the very heart of the romney economic plan. the 47%, he let romney come out there as a guy who cared about people and social security. he's on the record with his fundraisers where you pay $50,000 to hear what he really thinks as using your phrase. he said these people were all moochers and bums. on health care, four or five times he slipped away. romney in recent days has said if you have a health problem, you're poor and live in an apartment, as he put it, we won't let you die there, you're going to go to the emergency room. that is the romney economic health care plan. at each point he said on pre-existing conditions only if you have continuing coverage. then he said i'm going to take the principles of massachusetts and apply them there. the principle of massachusetts is individual mandate. how did the president let him get away with point after point

after point? >> this reminded me a lot of bu bu bush/kerry in '04. do you think it was that? or do you think the president didn't want to be as feisty as he saw in his challenger? >> well, i think he had to be both the moderator and the fact-checker. he could've done it like a gentleman. i thought romney was excellent with his civility, respect for the office of the presidency. i think the president could have done the same thing and sliced through all the claims by romney. romney's been accused of etch-a-sketch. >> thank you very much for getting up early after a long night in denver. >> thanks, david. we want to get a check of the other top stories. natalie, good morning. >> good morning, savannah, david, good morning, everyone. renewed shelling on syria this morning as turkey retaliates against the crisis-stricken neighbor for a second day. eamon, good morning.

>> reporter: good morning, natalie. that incident yesterday that triggered this assault was from the syrian military, a mortar round landed in southeastern turkey killing five people including a mother and her three children and an additional woman. now the turkish military has responded for a second straight day shelling military positions six miles inside syria. we understand according to syrian human rights organization that syrian soldiers have been killed. meanwhile, here in turkey, the turkish parliament is holding an emergency session, they're debating the possibility of authorizing the prime minister to have the power to deploy forces, including ground troops inside syria. but certainly that opens a can of worms that people in the region think would be extremely problematic and really put this region in further turmoil than it's seen over the past 18 months. >> thank you, eamon. health officials say a deadly meningitis outbreak may be linked to steroid injections manufactured at a massachusetts pharmacy. the drug maker has recalled the

steroid mostly used to treat back pain as investigators work to confirm the source of the infection. so far, more than two dozen people have been sickened across five states. four people have died, and experts say those numbers could grow. the type of meningitis is caused by a fungus, it is not as contagious as the more common forms. and for more information on this, head to our website today.com. a new three-year contract will keep chicago's teachers off the picket line as the union overwhelmingly approved the deal that includes pay increases and a new evaluation system. miguel cabrera has made the history books becoming the first baseball player in 45 years to earn the prestigious triple crown. the detroit tiger leads the american league in all three major statistical categories, batting averages, home runs, and rbis. cabrera joins the short list of baseball players to boast the achievement. support flooded in from

around the country after wisconsin news anchor jennifer livingston spoke out on-air about a letter she received that criticized her weight. the man who wrote the letter isn't backing down. personal injury lawyer kenneth krause is standing by his letter to livingston releasing a statement saying he'd be happy to help her transform herself over the next year for all of her viewers to see. livingston invited krause to appear on her show. he, however, declined. it is 7:18. back over to savannah, david, and al. >> good morning. >> good morning to everybody. and we've got a snowy morning for our friends in the northern plains. you can see moving out of montana and the dakotas, heading into minnesota. we've got a fairly good snowstorm going on. we've got winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories. snowfall amounts, we're talking anywhere from 6 to 8 inches of snow in northern minnesota and the temperatures are going to be taking a big drop throughout

much of the plains and mid plains later on today. we'll have the details on that >> good morning. next half it will be another warm day. we expect off and on light rain showers. >> and that's your latest weather. savannah? >> al, thanks. we've got a major milestone to announce this morning. facebook has now reached 1 billion users. coming up, matt talks about that and more with mark zuckerberg. but first, natalie has more on the social network that has changed the world. >> it has. from the wall street debut to the launch of the time line,

it's been a big year for facebook. and with the unprecedented billion member benchmark, it's inching closer to having all the friends in the world. >> reporter: it was 2004 when a 19-year-old named mark zuckerberg started a small website for college kids to share information. >> did you ever dream 2004 in your dorm room in harvard when you started this thing you'd end up sitting here one day and say we're going to cross 200 million users? >> no, i think that's a difficult thing to foresee. >> reporter: but today a benchmark as facebook announces it has 1 billion users, 1/7 of the world's population. >> facebook is an ecosystem. not only connects you to friends, not only connects yo uh to business opportunities, politicians are using it for their candidacy. it is huge. >> reporter: who is facebook's billionth friend? they joined on september 14th. that week the median age was about 22 years old. you might also guess they

weren't american. facebook estimates 4 out of every 5 monthly active users live outside the u.s. and canada with many users logging on from brazil, india, indonesia and mexico. >> clearly, the audience for facebook that continue to grow is going to be global. >> reporter: today, facebook is posting its first ad ever online translated in 15 different languages. >> these are things people use to get together so they can open up and connect. >> reporter: to date, facebook users have liked something 1.18 trillion times. checked in somewhere 17 billion times, and shared an astonishing 219 billion photos. but they've also connected in ways few could have predicted. >> a facebook page set up to support whitney has gotten thousands of likes with its stop bullying message. >> i posted that photo on facebook, my kid looks really sick. within the first hour, three friends telling me to go to the

hospital, it could be kawasaki disease. >> countless other stories untold. 1 billion users and growing. what's not to like? >> and with all those users logging on, facebook say people have friended each other 140 billion times and despite the strength in the mobile world they say they have 600 million mobile users, savannah. >> that's amazing. >> it is. >> connected the world. >> i think i tried, i'm waiting. i'm waiting for you to get back to me. >> he's the 1 billion. >> i liked you. all right. thanks. coming up, we'll have matt's exclusive interview with mark zuckerberg as he opens up about the company's struggles and its future. we'll also hear from the bus monitor badly tormented by young students. you probably remember the story. now we'll tell you how she is fighting back to end bullying. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

still ahead, the 8-year-old son of the crocodile hunter carrying on his father's legacy. >> we're going to catch up with steve irwin's family. but first your local news. presents the latest thing to wear with beautiful tops. beautiful underarms. wear with halter tops, tube tops, and bustiers. ball gowns. almost all gowns. cammies, jammies, toga tops, yoga tops, and va va voom tops! with 1/4 moisturizers and vitamins e and f, dove go sleeveless deodorant makes underarms soft and smooth in just five days. effective protection. beautiful result. try new soothing chamomile, clinically proven to calm shaving irritation.

now you can help too. when you buy a bag of pedigree, you'll help more shelter dogs go home. join us. feed your dog pedigree. and you'll help us feed more shelter dogs. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. a motion to require restaurants in baltimore city to post a health department grades has the full support of the baltimore city council did in hearing wednesday night, councilman brandon scott said it was unacceptable that patrons could not get the information without contacting the health department. some merchants opposed the decision, saying the current

system does not need to be changed. >> brand new accident in for motorists on southbound 895. vehicle spun out. it may be awhile before they are able to clear its. heavy delays on southbound 795 just past owings mills. disabled vehicle, backed out prior to owings mills on the beltway. delays from 795 to keith ave and new vail street. another problem is fire department activity. a southbound 95 out of the northeast, looking at delay from the 895 split. 795 is looking at a backup for perching owings mills all the way towards the beltway to to the disabled vehicle, and also just volume. this is inching along on the west side. tony, over to you. >> we have some light rain to

contend with during the day. give this up a couple extra minutes and take an umbrella with you. the range to taper off this morning. it will be another warm day to day. chance for rainshowers this morning and then it tapers off into the late afternoon. sunshine bricks thrown the hot temperatures will be added of the 70's, 80's. tomorrow it will be just as warm transfer rate goes up

the words were hurtful, the video disturbing, middle schoolers bullying their adult bus monitor earlier this year. karen klein, the target of that harassment received support from all around the world when people saw that video. and this morning, she's here for an exclusive live interview. she's going to tell us how she's going to pay that support forward and try to bring an end to bullying. good morning, everyone. 7:30 now on a thursday morning. it's the fourth day of october, 2012, i'm savannah gurthrie alongside david gregory in for matt. >> also ahead coming up this morning, steve irwin was outspoken, of course, entertaining, and at times even controversial. especially when he used his

1-month-old son in one of his shows. today that boy is 8 years old and following in his dad's footsteps. six years after irwin's tragic death. we're going to catch up with him and the rest of the irwin family coming up later. >> he's definitely in the family business. and we'll show you how a school bus driver turns the tide on another driver who kept using the sidewalk to get around his bus as it picked up children. you'll want to see that. but we're going to begin this half hour with more on facebook. with 1 billion users worldwide, matt recently sat down with the social network's creator and ceo mark zuckerberg for a rare, revealing and exclusive interview. >> three years ago, we sat down in the studio, you were at 175 million users, three years later, 1 billion. that's with a "b." what does it mean to you? not to a company, to you personally? >> there's no way when we were getting started with this i would have ever thought that, myself or any of the people around me would be able to be a part of something like this.

it's incredible. >> reporter: what's also incredible is that mark zuckerberg has changed the way the world interacts and communicates, a feat he's accomplished at the age of 28. >> people look at you and say not only is this visionary and the technical guy, this is the ceo. i was reading an article and it said this is a guy who is learning as he goes, like taking flying lessons but you're in a cockpit of a 747 and there are people in the plane. how do you feel about that? >> well, i take the responsibility extremely seriously. and our responsibility as a company is just to do the best that we can and build the best products for people. and if we build the best products, then i think that we can continue leading in the space for a long time. that's what we need to stay focused on. >> will it happen naturally? you build the best product, can the company make money. i'm not a tech guy and i'm not really a business guy. and the question i ask myself and i hear over and over, if a

company has a billion customers, how can they not be killing it making money? >> well, i think it depends on your definition of killing it. we are making billions of dollars, we're a public company, so i can talk about that. but the future is really going to be about mobile and the opportunities for growth there. >> have you been slow to get there? >> well, we do have the most used mobile apps. there's 5 billion people in the world that have phones, we should be able to serve many more people and grow the user base there. >> while he's excited and optimistic about the future of his company, he's also aware of the setbacks. >> let's do this. >> facebook went public in may amidst a flurry of hype and anticipation, but the ipo was deemed disastrous by some, beset by trading glitches, the stock plunged about 40%, the value of the company decreased by billions. >> an article i read said is mark zuckerberg in over his

hoodie? do you think a ceo who has more experience than you might be able to take this company to the next level and leave you to develop the products? >> i take this responsibility that i have really seriously. building the products and services and building the business go hand in hand. >> many consider apple the gold standard. zuckerberg is friendly with apple's current ceo tim cook, but in many ways models himself after steve jobs. >> what was the thing you observed about steve jobs that makes a difference in your life as a corporate executive every day? >> he was just so focused, right? for him, the user experience was the main thing that mattered, the only thing that mattered. and i think there's a lot that every company can learn from that. >> last weekend, apple sold about 5 million of their new iphone 5s. did you buy one?

>> tim actually sent one to me. it's a wonderful device. >> you got a freebie? so are you now an iphone 5 user? is that the phone you've got in your pocket or back on your desk. >> i use all of them. >> are you just not playing favorites here? >> iphone is a great platform. we actually, there are more people who use facebook on android. we spend our time building for all of these different things. >> zuckerberg might seem overly careful with his words, but that's because he knows his company is at a critical crossroads. >> i'm not giving you any news you don't know, but it's been a tough several months around here. what is morale like? a lot of these people came here thinking one thing was going to happen and it's changed. >> we're obviously in a tough cycle now where -- that doesn't help morale. but at the same time, you know, people here are focused on the things that they're building. >> you don't do a lot of interviews. >> uh-huh. >> and yet you did one not long ago at tech crunch justice of the peace apparently was pretty

successful because the next day the company stock was up by about 7% or so. did you immediately think, i've got to get out there and do that more often. i'm going to do "dancing with the stars," i'm going to do a reality show. >> i only really want to go out and talk when there's something to say. a lot of people like being in the press all the time and that's not us. >> attention from the press might not be something that mark zuckerberg seeks out, but he's found himself in the headlines and on magazine covers. for a side of his life he's tried to keep private. >> it wasn't long ago earn still in harvard. and now not only have you become this incredible ceo of this huge company, your personal life is on the front page of magazines. the wedding on the front page of "people" magazine, how does that feel? >> it's odd. and it's surprising. you know, it doesn't take away from these moments. the wedding was an awesome thing. we planned -- we intentionally

didn't want a lot of attention. so what we did was, my wife and i planned it as a surprise. and i sent out this e-mail to all of our friends telling them i was having a surprise party for her for graduating from medical school. it was a small wedding, 80 or so people, but it was really nice. and then people want to write about it afterwards, fine, but i wanted to make it so that we can enjoy the moment because that's what it's about. >> were you surprised by the interest? >> to some extent i always get surprised when people focus on things that i think are at the margin of that. >> the celebrity side of it. >> but i try to keep everything just simple besides that. i mean, my lifestyle is extremely simple. i wear the same thing every day, right? if you could see my closet -- >> you have 12 of those t-shirts. >> probably about 20. and my wife has a bunch of stuff, her drawers are primarily scrubs for the hospital, and i get one drawer. >> are you telling me at home

you have one drawer of a wardrobe closet? >> like men everywhere. >> not this guy. i've got a slightly bigger closet. >> zuckerberg insists he's a simple guy, happy to be at the helm of the company he loves. >> i just love what we're doing here. it's my -- it's the company's mission, my life's mission. i'm super excited about that. >> interesting to see that. and if you want to catch more of matt's exclusive interview, you can watch it tonight on "rock center with brian williams" at 10:00, 9:00 central time here on nbc. we'll get a check of the weather from al. >> thanks so much, savannah. and we've got our friends hanging out here. don't need the sweatshirt today, it's warm and humid, you can probably take that off. but take a look at these temperatures. ahead of this front, we've got 68 in cleveland, 75 in chicago. behind the front, we're looking at temperatures in the 30s and 40s. and look what happens as that front moves through tonight. temperatures drop -- start

dropping. st. louis at 80, chicago as we go into the day on thursday, down to about 50 degrees. by friday, it's only going to be up into the mid-40s. bismarck, north dakota, with a bomperature of about 25 degrees >> good morning. we expect off and on light rain showers. the humidity should go down. don't forget, check that weather any time you need it. go to the weather channel on cable, weather.com online. savannah? >> thanks, al. coming up next, the silver lining to that nasty bullying of

a 68-year-old school bus monitor at the hands of middle schoolers. she's going to share with us what she's going to do about it in an exclusive live interview after this. [ male announcer ] 20,000 btus produce a delicate sear. double-oven range makes dinner and dessert -- at the same time. turbo-charged advantium oven cooks more than twice as fast, in this culinary powerhouse. dan. yes? molé sauce. [ male announcer ] with ge's most advanced cooking technology, the café line takes food further. ♪ the café line takes food further. then get the how.. our new fall style guide ipad app is here. browse pages of inspiration, trends, and swipe-by-swipe instructions. download it now. more saving, more doing. that's the power of the home depot. red raspberries, and blackberries from the northwest a rich and delicious array of flavors.

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at 7:43 now, we're back to a follow-up of a bullying incident caught on tape that became a teachable moment for many parents. middle school students in upstate new york hurling cruel and relentless insults at their 68-year-old bus monitor karen klein. we'll catch up with her exclusively in a moment. but first, here's nbc's tamron hall. >> good morning, david. her story is a sobering reminder that bullying is an ongoing problem. well, now she's trying to use the incident to bring an end to the taunts and violence.

>> your reflexes are so slow. >> you have reflexes like an elephant. >> this profanity-laced video of karen klein, a 68-year-old bus monitor from new york being ridiculed mercilessly from a group of seventh graders shocked us all. during the ten-minute long attack, insults hurled were nonstop. >> you don't have a family because they all killed themselves -- >> the video filmed by one student on his cell phone shows the aggression escalate as they began to physically poke her and even make threats. >> i can't believe it happened. nobody should have to put up with that. >> reporter: klein says the meanness stopped only when the kids got off the bus. she didn't report the incident to school officials. >> i just can't explain why i did what i did, or why i didn't do what i should have done.

>> reporter: in fact, she learned that the video now seen more than 8 million times had been posted when she was called in by the school the next morning as part of their investigation. >> we expect victims to report all the time and the fact is, so often they don't because they're afraid. she's the adult in this situation. would people believe her? or they might blame her for not taking into her own hands and doing something about it. >> students found to be involved will face strong disciplinary action. >> came in the form of a year-long suspension. either the boys or their families have since sent klein a letter of apology. >> i cannot believe i did that. i'm sorry for being so mean and i will never treat anyone this way again. >> reporter: the community at large rallied behind the grandmother of eight. a donation fund set up on the website raised over $700,000. now karen will pay it forward using some of the money to launch an anti-bullying foundation. >> if this is doing good, then i don't need to be sad about it.

>> so by the way, the goal for fund raising started by a good samaritan was to get karen a few thousand bucks for a nice vacation. clearly the pot swelled more than anyone could imagine. reportedly more than 30,000 people in 84 countries made contributions. >> tamron, thanks very much. karen klein is with us now exclusively. good to see you. good morning. >> good morning. >> you have to watch that and it's got to be very difficult to see that tape again. >> i never did see the whole thing. i didn't want to. i just saw what i just saw now pretty much. i didn't want -- i just couldn't. >> people looking at it with my reaction in part was why didn't you as a bus monitor take these kids to task right away? isn't that part of what an adult should be doing in those situations? you must have thought about that a lot. >> oh, yes, i did. i thought about that. i didn't do it. >> why? do you have any --

>> i'm glad i didn't. now that this has happened. >> right. >> now maybe we can get the bullying thing known. >> you're saying you're glad you didn't do -- >> that i didn't do something. >> it did make it on youtube. you were pleased ultimately with that. >> yeah. i mean, i still don't understand if it was a boy that took the video which i didn't even know he was doing. if he put it on or if somebody saw it and they put it on. i don't know. >> what is the bigger -- you've got a foundation now, this is anti-bullying month, what is the conversation you would like to start with your incident with what you've been through? >> oh, i hope that nobody else has to go through anything like that. but -- it's really hard to say. >> what would you like -- what kind of conversation would you like to see parents have with their kids who are this age who may see this or may be hearing

about it? >> well, i'd like them to tell the kids that it's not to be done. it's not right. how would you like it if somebody did it to you? but i'm afraid that some of the kids have been bullied and that's why they did what they did. >> are you satisfied -- we mentioned you didn't file a complaint after the incident. a couple of the boys have been suspended, they're in a reengagement center. they've written letters to you. are you satisfied? >> four of them are going to an alternative school. >> you think that's adequate? >> pardon? >> do you think it's adequate? >> well, that's not all they're doing. they also are supposed to be doing 50 hours of community service at a nursing home. and no sports. they were supposed to get their own transportation, but that didn't work out. >> there's a bus tour that's

going to feature kind of a musical psa against bullying. we've got a group of these young, talented artists on the plaza this morning. >> right outside the window. >> so you've got to feel good about them helping you with your message. >> i do. such great kids. >> what have you got there? >> i've got a shirt for you. >> all right. what does it say here? to end bullying now. good for you. and the karen klein foundation. well -- >> i have one too. >> you do? >> but i've got pink. you're lucky you didn't get a pink one. >> thanks for coming here and sharing your story. good luck with this. thank you very much. still ahead, the young children of the late crocodile hunter steve irwin open up about following in their father's footsteps. some places i go really aggravate my allergies.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara here is sarah caldwell. >> a lot going on out there. new accident in the middle river vicinity. white marsh boulevard and eastern boulevard, and another crash just in to us. eastbound i-70 backed up all the way from 32 towards the beltway. fleet street is closed from broadway and m street due to fire department activity. look at the as southbound 95

delays out of the northeast. 175 and 295, checking out an accident there. westbound 50 and 97, accident just in. live view of traffic in the area of 295. southbound traffic tapping the brakes there. northeast side, inner and outer lips, a very heavy traffic. over to you, tony. >> not a big deal, but there is light rain shower activity on hd doppler a. best chance for rain will be early this morning. it will taper off early in the afternoon. 71 at the airport, 69 in cockeysville. it is a muggy start today.

humidity will drop off in the evening. but it will be a warm and humid day. high temperatures the upper 70's and low 80s, way above average. and low 80s, way above average. and i've got my pumpkin k-cup packs for at home. now i can have my pumpkin coffee any time i want it. pumpkin's perfect. it's dunkin' with the press of a button. new pumpkin k-cup packs, only at dunkin' restaurants. america runs on dunkin' coffee.

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8:00 now on this thursday morning, it's the fourth day of october, 2012. it's 68 degrees out here on rockefeller plaza. downright balmy. >> it's bring your pharmacist to workday. i've never seen so many. >> we have so many people on our plaza in lovely white lab coats. i know, david gregory, you know your pharmacist quite well. >> i do. >> what are you trying to imply? >> i don't know. whatever, draw your own conclusions. i'm savannah gurthrie alongside david gregory and al roker.

i have important news and i have to say -- >> like being with the -- >> good news for this guy, not such good news for you, david. a new study found men with bald or shaved heads are more masculine. so i ask you, tienes mas macho? al roker or in this corner, david gregory? >> hold on, let me fix my hankie. we have this video that's raising eyebrows, the next generation of the crocodile hunter here. the son of the late crocodile hunter all grown up now and feeding his first croc. his older sister is also carrying on his work. we'll hear from both of them coming up. how a fed up school bus driver dealt with an irate and impatient car driver. we're going to show you what happened. wow this is just --

>> where do you got to go? where are you going? >> very scary. >> aggressive driving in the dictionary, that's what you see. and we have a true icon in our studio this morning. julian julie andrews is here along with her daughter. we want to check in with natalie morales with a check of today's top stories. good morning, everyone. republican mitt romney is winning strong reviews for his performance in last night's presidential debate. nbc's andrea mitchell was in denver for the faceoff and joining us now for fact checking. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, natalie. from a very cold denver, the two men tangoed for 90 minutes. and they even argued over big bird. mitt romney cited public broadcasting as one program he'd cut. even though the debate was moderated by pbs. >> i like big bird, i like you too.

but i'm not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from china to pay for it. >> big bird and pbs's parent gets only .01% of the federal budget. the president said he'd cut the budget by $4 trillion. >> i put forward a $4 trillion deficit reduction plan. >> reporter: he's counting money saved by letting the bush tax cuts expire for people making more than $250,000 a year. he's also counting $1 trillion in savings by drawing down the wars in iraq and afghanistan. nonpartisan budget experts call that a gimmick because those wars were deficit financed in the first place. mitt romney denied president obama's claim that his tax cuts would cost $5 trillion. >> i'm not in favor of a $5 trillion tax cut, that's not my plan. my plan is not to put in place any tax cut that will add to the deficit. >> romney has proposed making the bush tax cuts permanent for everyone and then cutting all rates an additional 20%. he would also repeal the

alternative minimum tax and permanently repeal the estate tax. the nonpartisan tax policy center concluded romney's tax plan would cost $4.8 trillion over ten years. romney said his plan would be paid for by closing loopholes and getting rid of deductions. but again, he refused to be specific. and because of the romney comments about pbs, big bird was trending on twitter wednesday night with 17,000 tweets per minute on the plight of big bird. >> all right. andrea mitchell in denver after a long night there, great job last night, andrea. thank you. turkey's parliament has approved military operations outside its border if the government feels they are necessary. the move comes as turkish troops shell syrian targets for a second day today. turkey retaliated for mortar fire from syria wednesday that reportedly killed at least five civilians and a turkish border town. nato declared the support for turkey after an emergency meeting last night. now for a look at what is

trending today. our quick round of "what has you talking" online. big bird was a big winner after mitt romney said he'd cut pbs funding. urged followers to occupy sesame street posting pictures saying look what mitt did to me. it also warns that romney will end bert and ernie's right to a civil union. the debate was the most tweeted about event in u.s. political history. former saved by the bell star is suffering from bipolar disorder. "people" interviewed the women after lark's appearance on tv last spring had fans wondering about her drastic new look. "people" said she did talk about voices in her head and explained long pauses in her answers as moments of prayer. and a cleveland school bus driver was fed up with one woman he said repeatedly drove on the

sidewalk to go on his bus when he stopped to pick up a disabled child. so he had police set up a sting. >> all right. justice has been served. >> well, the driver pleaded not guilty tuesday to reckless operation and failing to stop for a school bus. that will teach him. it's 8:06. let's go over to al with a check of your weather. >> guess he doesn't know about the video. >> i guess not. >> thanks, nat. let's see what we've got for you as far as today's weather is concerned. we are looking at our pick city of the day. it is laredo, texas. sunny, hot, near 100 degrees. and as we look at the satellite and radar, you can see wet weather stretching from florida all the way to new england. patchy, dense fog. snow back through the central plains, moving into the upper great lakes. some areas may pick up to a foot of snow. heat continues in the southwest, more rain continues for florida as miami continues its march on

as it goes for the wettest year on record. >> good morning.ing onth it will be another warm day. we expect off and on light rain showers. time now for today's take three where we share our thoughts on topics that caught our attention. we've got a doozie for topic number one. >> so there's a new study that says if you have a lot of hair, you're perceived as less masculine, less powerful than a

man who might have less hair, might be bald or clean shaven. >> how do you feel about that, david? >> i'm trying to process this. i guess it makes some sense. i like people embracing the idea, you have what you have, you don't have what you don't have. own it, you know, get rid of it, if you're going to shave it close. there's action heroes, military types who are bald. >> the matt lauer effect. >> you spend so much time on it, on your hair. >> it's a process, yeah. >> it actually got me thinking, what would you look like without hair. so i just -- i think we have a shot of david -- with no hair. >> wow. >> you kind of look younger, actually. very masculine and powerful. >> this is a study. >> if you think i'm going to take this lying down, you're absolutely right. >> you look very masculine like that. >> and basically, i think what

they're trying to point out that the men, by the way who have -- >> who says we're not taking this seriously? >> men who are thinning, though, or who have the comb-over, time to get rid of that. >> he's actually wearing a wig. >> i think we've proven today that bald is beautiful. >> it is beautiful. >> yeah. >> nicely done! >> there you go. >> fantastic. >> let's move on to take two. >> okay. >> cameron diaz just turned 40. she gave an interesting interview where she said she basically feels better at 40 than she did at 25. she says it's the first time in my life i'm content, getting older is the best part of my life. i know myself better, feel more capable, and as far as the physicality, i feel better at 40 than i did at 25. matt, you and i just had our 40th birthday. nine months ago, i'm almost 41. but i absolutely agree with that. i think at 40, i think there's a new freedom. you know who you are, you kind

of know where you're going in life. you know, you're hopefully content with your situation. but in my 20s, it was all about not sure where i was or who i was. >> what does cameron diaz have to feel bad about? she's beautiful, she's single, rich, a movie star. >> right. i don't know. >> but i do think it's true. i think -- i mean as a man, obviously, i think women are beautiful at 40. i do think they -- >> aredo you running for office? >> no, 40s are fantastic. >> sure. >> even though you're not bald, you get it. >> i'm trying to offer a little bit about what's in here. >> i do, and i like that you're opening up and showing this side of yourself. >> how about you, savannah? >> i actually love 40, it's 41 i really fear. no, i'm just kidding. i really do think you feel better. >> i think we get better as we get older. >> our take three. boo. billions spent on halloween. can you believe it?

looks like we're going to spend about $8 billion on halloween costumes and decorations. $310 million on pet costumes. >> we spent $1 million on the bald costumes. >> it's a fantastic holiday for kids. candy, by the way. >> i know. >> we're going to bring our dogs in tomorrow. >> i know, pet parade tomorrow. >> pet costumes. coming up next, the crocodile hunter's kids. they're all grown up and in the family business too right after this. ♪

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back now at 8:15. steve irwin, the famed crocodile hunter made his name with up close encounters with the world's most dangerous creatures. and six years after his tragic death, his children are carrying on his work. >> reporter: call it reptile initiation. one large crocodile fed by one small boy. >> it's kind of funny watching it how they're striking up. it was pretty fun. >> reporter: this isn't just any 8-year-old, it's robert irwin. who got his first introduction to crocodiles as a baby in the

arms of dad, steve irwin. >> you done remember this, but you came in this when you were just 1-month-old and your dad brought you in here and he lifted you up like this for that lion king moment to show everyone the new baby. wasn't that a great day? so mommy and daddy got home that night. we were on the nbc "today" show. >> many say he went too far. >> reporter: it was a moment that would become infamous. >> and some people said it was one of the dumbest things they'd ever seen. >> the crocodile hunter apologized. >> i'm sincerely sorry i scared people. i'll make sure that never happens again, mate. >> but terri irwin said her husband was wounded. >> he was so hurt with the fallout of the media. he said more than anything he wanted to be a good dad and he loved his kids. >> and now his kids are the wildlife warriors. >> you try one.

>> whoa! >> i love all crocodiles, alligators. yeah, they're definitely my favorite. i love lizards and snakes, as well. >> isn't he beautiful? he's got his mouth open. >> big sister bindy says her favorite is the australian version of a porcupine. >> aren't they funny animals? >> six years after steve irwin's death from a sting ray barb while snorkeling, his australia zoo is thriving. there's even an animal hospital. the zoo is also home to terri and the children when they're not filming in australia or hollywood. bindi has her own tv show just like dad. >> they're very cute. we just love them. >> and here he is. >> my dad was honestly my hero.

i looked up to him. and i think it's extraordinarily important to make sure that his message continues. >> it needs to be quicker. >> i first met terri and steve back in 1997 chasing deadly and fierce snakes in the outback. >> oh, see that "s" position he's in now? >> feel like two chips off the old block? >> bindi is so much like steve in that she's very tough on the outside and soft on the inside and not many people knew that about steve. and robert you just look at him and go, yep, that's steve. >> what do you want to do when you grow up? >> i'd like to carry on in my dad's footsteps and keep the zoo going. >> and 14-year-old bindi agrees. >> if one man can make a difference, you can make a difference, we can all make a difference. >> reporter: for "today," sarah james, nbc news, australia. and coming up next, the

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career. she's also a best-selling author of children's books. she's written with her daughter their latest treasury with all seasons poems and songs to celebrate the year. julie andrews, great to see you. what a wonderful book. what a wonderful contribution. >> thank you. >> why has this collaboration worked so well? you write children's books. they're all best-sellers. something's going right. >> chemistry. i don't know, we were very unsure at first if we'd be compatible. and somehow we have very different strengths when we work together. and it's -- >> and we can speak shorthand. i think that helps too. >> and we both love tea. >> and working with mom is okay? it's not a struggle. >> no, it's wonderful, actually. believe it or not doing creative work together takes away the pressure from all the other nonsense that comes into mother/daughter relationships. >> i have three young kids and i are like to introduce poetry to them. you've got all these holidays, emily dickinson, the nuts are

getting brown, the berry's cheek is plumper, the rose is out of town. it's wonderful to introduce that. >> and we want children to love reading and poems is a marvelous introduction to that. they're short, musical in a way. >> you found poems for arbor day even. >> kwanzaa, we've tried to be diverse and broad. >> that's the next book. >> you wrote original poems about valentine's day, julie you write a heart seems far too small a thing to carry, all the love i bring to you. what about valentine's day made you want to write something original? >> well, my spouse, my lovely blake. and in the family, we always write special occasion poems. we have done for as long as i can remember. we've got quite a pile of them and i chose one day to do a valentine's for blake. >> what's special for you in the book that stands out?

>> you know, one of the great thrills is the beautiful painting. >> it just makes the book. >> they do. we hope, of course, that the poem will stand on their own and be these wonderful rich linguistic musical gifts, but the painting so catch the eye and we'll really enhance the experience for kids and families of all ages. >> what is the key to reaching children meaningfully in a book? and do your own kids offer good advice? >> they're good. they are very good critics. >> our best critics and source of ideas. >> sometimes they are, yeah. unless we stumble across an idea that we have to suddenly write because it is so compelling. >> i think the key is the same as it is writing with adults. it's compelling story and great characters. >> characters mostly, i think. characters make your story. >> in a collection like this, of course, it's moments, it's wonderful moments that capture the imagination and beautiful pictures to go with it. >> and we hope that families,

indeed, will just be able to go to the bookshelf at any time of the year and find an appropriate poem for whatever day they're celebrating. >> so much good stuff in here. thank you, both. >> thank you for having me. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> rough ride around big area. pulaski highway and joppa road, new accident there. southbound 95 in the job but region is where your delays begin. eastbound white marsh boulevard and eastern boulevard, watch for crash. in a look at the harrisburg expressway, disabled vehicle adding to those delays.

fleet street remains closed between broadway and m street due to fire department activity. another accident at hollins ferry. let's update you with live cameras and show you what it looks like at 70 west of the beltway. these delays stretch back to 32 in the eastbound direction. very heavy there. joppa road overpass, looking at delays. southbound direction, continuing towards the split. john collins joins us with a look at the forecast. >> we have to look at the radar grid we circle the baltimore area. there is another band of rain. cloudy showers west of frederick. temperature-wise, reading of 71. humidity is still up to rid of government pressure at the high side -- barometric pressure at

the high side at 12. rain chance is will drop a little bit but we still have a chance of showers northwesterly at 10. >> we are back with another update at 8:56. share everything by turning your smartphone into a mobile hotspot for up to 8 wifi-enabled devices at no extra charge. like the new droid razr m by motorola only $99.99.

8:30 now on this thursday morning. it's the fourth day of october, 2012. we're spending some time with some of our fabulous friends on the plaza at rockefeller center. starting their day with us. it's good to see all those white lab coats. it's appreciate your pharmacist month. did you know that? >> i've got to do that. >> he's got a prescription right now.

>> don't say that. >> good morning, everyone, i'm savannah gurthrie alongside david gregory in for matt. the professionals are here, and they have a very special not just guest but guests. the power duo of kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. one of the things the professionals are going to talk about this morning is the study that claims you could be dooming your marriage if you share the housework. what? >> yeah. a lot of people are saying that. >> you do? >> yeah. you know why? the ladies have a certain way they want things done. we guys may be a little different about it. >> i think the opposite can be true, as well. men can be in a certain way but it can be a source of tension. >> i feel like we're getting to know you a little better here, david. what else is coming up? >> well, if you want new ideas on how to feed your family, we're going to learn new orleans style. which is great.

we look forward to that. and we'll meet a mom who came up with a remarkable invention to help save babies' lives in underdeveloped countries being used in hospitals all around the world. jenna bush-hager is going to share her story. >> on wednesday, we're all talking about the election and everybody's reading the latest in the polls. here's an interesting poll. we told you about this eyebrow test. apparently in the last seven of the past eight presidential elections, the candidate with the best eyebrows went on to win the election. this is according to a company called the grooming lounge, pushing toward getting your eyebrows groomed. and so we did our own web poll with our anchors. >> and the results are in. >> are staggering. we took a look at matt, al, david, and lester's eyebrows. al came in at 8%. matt got 15%, david, 23%, but look who took it home in a big way, mr. lester holt.

>> lester holt. >> wow. >> well, the truth is, both of them have -- they have to fill them in on make-up. i feel like i'm a little bit of a fraud here because i had childhood accidents. >> oh. >> no worries. second grade, ran into the monkey bars and i think it was third grade it was dancing and and fell into something. >> well, i think i'm not sure -- maybe a little bias in the polling, maybe. >> i think people are disconcerted that your hair is white yet your eyebrows are brown. does that repeat in other places? what's going on? >> oh, come on. >> i was talking about chest hair. just wondering. >> lester, now that you've been voted best eyebrows on the "today" show, do you feel your life will change? >> if nominated i will not run, and if elected, i will not serve. >> sherman-esque. well, congratulations. >> thank you.

>> i was surprised to come back and read that. >> you come back and you get into the eyebrow competition. >> we're talking about it. it was a big topic of conversation. >> you did a great job. >> by the way, we've got some of our own female anchors' eyebrows to show you. >> oh, no! >> and we want to see who came in. look at that, savannah, natalie, kathie and hoda. we want you to go to today.com and vote, who has the best eyebrows of our female anchors. >> i think i vote for natalie too. >> and we'll get all personal with you. we'll get all personal. >> al, check on the weather? >> i don't know. let's all do this. let's show you what's going on now as far as your weather's concerned. for today, for tomorrow i should say, we are looking at sunshine along the east coast. wet weather in the great lakes back into oklahoma, beautiful

out west, saturday we've got rain moving into the northeast, sunny and warm through the gulf coast into the southwest, snow showers in the northern rockies. sunday, sunday! rain along the eastern sea board in the mid-atlantic states, sunny and warm out west. that's what's going on around the country -- wow, jim corigan, oh, yeah. great eyebrows, bad chin. that's what's >> good morning. we expect off and on light rain showers. the humidity should go down.

>> it's a strong, manly chin. david? >> thanks, al. the new normal -- where am i? i'm trying to work here. the new normal when it comes to building a family. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:38. and this morning on the new normal, reshaping the american family. as we see on nbc's new comedy "the new normal," there are different options when it comes to having children. good morning, good to see you. >> good morning, savannah. one of those choices is surrogacy. couples are looking in unlikely places. >> look, daddy, a snow angel. >> reporter: explaining the miracle of life to their 4-year-old twins can be a little tricky. >> what do you tell them about how they came into the world?

>> we've always said that there's a lovely lady who carried you in her belly. because of her, you are with us. >> reporter: that lovely lady was a surrogate. after being together for seven years, the couple wanted a family and decided surrogacy was their best option. they found a woman in california who already had been a surrogate once before and had a family of her own. using a donor egg and contributions from both men, the surrogate quickly became pregnant with twins and involved nick and rick in every aspect of the experience. >> she was so proactive about sharing with us and how she was taking care of herself. that very often we were left with no questions to ask. >> reporter: like real life storks, surrogates are bringing babies to families all across the country. >> i'm great at being pregnant. i have tons of energy and no morning sickness.

>> reporter: in 2010, more than 1,400 babies were born to gestational surrogates, almost double the number from 2004. >> we've gotten so much better at in vitro fertilization technology. therefore this becomes more of a successful reality. >> reporter: it is increasingly becoming a family affair. this past august, 53-year-old cindy gave birth to her own granddaughter. she volunteered to carry the baby after her daughter emily was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had a hysterectomy. >> the thought of emily and mike not being able to have children and sort of chair that piece of their lives with someone just broke my heart. >> the baby conceived through ivf using emily and her husband's genetic material made their dream of starting a family come true. >> the lack of sleep, which is -- which we knew was coming,

we couldn't be happier. >> reporter: even sisters are helping each other out. when tonya radcliffe learned she could conceive a baby but not carry one, her two sisters offered to help, each one willing to be impregnated with her and her husband's embryos. >> they went to such great lengths and knowing she couldn't transfer the embryos to carry a pregnancy was really heartbreaking to watch from the sidelines. >> it's such a short-term sacrifice for a long-term joy for her and i can't imagine it turning out any other way. >> reporter: surrogacy is heavily regulated from the fda. >> there is no normal. couples, women, individuals, gay, gay men have lots of option available to build families and that's a good thing. >> reporter: the costs, which include medical and legal fees can be well over six figures.

but for these couples, expanding their family is priceless. >> if you have the desire to be a parent, whatever it takes to be a parent, do it. it'll bring you the greatest joy in your life. >> so why do women choose to be surrogates? well, of course, for some of them it's to give a gift to others, and a lot of them say they enjoy being pregnant. >> it's a win/win for everybody. thank you. coming up next, "today's" professionals are here, they're going to weigh in on the battle between nicki minaj and maria

krystal conwell : we see a lot of problems with the... number of students that we have. resources. materials. things that the children need...

on a day-to-day basis. anncr: question seven will help. the department of legislative services says question seven... will mean hundreds of millions of dollars... for schools...from gaming revenues that would have... gone to other states. and independent audits will guarantee the money... goes where it's supposed to. krystal conwell: i think people should vote for question... seven because i think it will be a great benefit to children. "today" is brought to you by toyota. it is change everything you thought about a hybrid. back at 8:44. this morning on a special series celebrating la vida latina.

"today" contributing correspondent jenna bush-hager has her story. >> good morning. when her own son zachary was born a premie, she developed a way for him to feel her love. now her invention is used in hundreds of hospitals worldwide. >> reporter: as a little girl growing, she dreamed of becoming an engineer. >> i always loved the technical field. i love math and my dad was an engineer. >> reporter: she came to the u.s. and got her ph.d. in industrial engineering. she also fell in love with a texan named larry. they married and five years later, yamile was pregnant. but their joy was cut short. >> i was pregnant, and i had e preeclampsia. i always say he was born to save me because i was the one that was sick.

>> reporter: zachary was born weighing less than 2 pounds. >> you were a first-time mom, a new mom, and you would spend all day with your son. >> yeah. >> but you were told at night you needed to go home. >> it's very unnatural for a mom to go home after giving birth without a child. doesn't get any easier. when you have a child and the house is supposed to be, you know, a mess and it is very quiet. >> reporter: then the unthinkable. tropical storm allison flooded houston and shut down the hospital where little zachary was in the nicu, his life support cut off. >> we had to keep him alive by hand for nine hours until he was evacuated. and i made a promise to help babies on his behalf. >> reporter: and she wouldn't forget her promise. but how she would help other premature babies started with the garden glove. >> one of the things i asked as soon as zachary was born was what are the things that are a common denominator for babies in

the nicu when they grow. >> she says they don't like to be touched. and i'm hispanic, we touch for everything. we say hello, good-bye, if you're happy, you're sad. i couldn't imagine giving zachary a life without enjoying human touch. >> the doctor from the cleveland clinic explains. >> they have ivs inserted, blood drawn by painful techniques and a lot of what we do causes pain. they have an aversion to touch later on. >> and she came up with her own solution. >> when i was in the nicu, the nurses taught me how to use my hand to comfort him. and so i was like, okay, i can do this, and i would hold him for the ten hours. i don't mind. but who's going to do that when i'm not there? >> how did you decide, okay, i'm going to leave a glove so my scent's with him. >> it was gardening season and i saw all the displays and i'm like, i wonder if i can use one

of those and simulate my hand. >> it was your engineering mind at work? >> yes. >> she left the glove covered in her scent with zachary overnight. >> the nurse called me and said you know those little gloves you made for zachary, can you make them for the rest of the unit? >> it took her 3 1/2 years pillows shaped like hands that simulate the shape, touch, and scent of a parent. they're used in more than 30 countries. and the little boy that inspired them is now 11 years old and thriving. >> he's in fifth grade, and he loves the drums, he loves playing golf with larry, he loves art, and he loves to see how things are made. >> so he's a little bit like his mother? >> i think so. >> you call him your cio. >> yes. >> is that right? >> yes, he's our chief inspirational officer. and he has business cards that say that.

everything i do is because of him. he gave me purpose of my life. and not just my personal life, but my professional life. so he's my inspiration. >> she has also donated zachies to hospitals worldwide, and if a family wants to donate, she will also match their donation. she's doing such great work. and as a premie myself, a large premie grown up, i think she's incredible. >> i did not know that about premies not wanting to be touch. >> in honor of hispanic heritage, you can find a whole list of hispanic innovators. first this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:51 with "today's" kitchen, what's for dinner? and this morning, out with a new cooking channel series. he travels to find the best food in america. >> i was just working on the flowers. >> all right. >> that's our garnish. >> so you're canadian, but you travel around to sample american food. did you learn a lot? >> i learned so much. and i think that's the beauty of this show is i pick a street in

a city, not necessarily the street you would think, and, you know, eat my weight down the street, literally. from street food to high end to low end. anything that's interesting. you know, you get to learn a little bit more about your own backyard and that's the beauty of it. you don't have to go so far sometimes to discover something great, new, authentic and real. >> we're making something from new orleans today. the pull boy. >> i went to new orleans. >> can i point out? you've added some ink in honor of our cooking segment. you have a new cod tattoo. >> cod, there you go. >> ready to travel. >> there you go. so, you know, normally this is done with oysters in new orleans, but you can make it with pretty much anything. shrimp, whatever you have. he had really, really fresh cod, so why not? and that's the beauty of it. and that's the theme behind the show is, you know, i eat the street, but different cities in america will have their different versions of their

sandwiches or snacks and what not. so this is kind of one of those things where you can, you know, have this in new orleans, but really anywhere in the u.s. you'll have a version of it. >> cod is good too because it'll hold together a little better for the sandwich? >> you can use any white fish, halibut, cod, snapper, whatever. for my batter, flour, salt, cayenne. >> yep. >> drop that in there. >> little beer. >> little beer. why not? >> what does it add besides flavor? >> it obviously adds flavor, but it givens you that leavenning effect. is that good? >> yeah. >> once again, you know, it's all about consistency. and you want to -- you want to cook with your eyes, as well. if it looks like it's too thick, then you've got to fix it up. you add a little bit more beer, more water. >> you want to get all the lumps out? >> yeah, but you don't want to stir it too much because you don't want to -- you want to keep those bubbles from the

beer. so batter is good to go. >> put this guy in there. >> fish, season, salt and pepper. >> i'll do that. >> yeah? >> yeah. >> all right. get that in there. you can either serve this on baguette or a nice roll or a bun depending where you are. >> that's going to make it local if you use your own bread. >> can i throw it in there? >> yeah, throw it in there. >> in the oil. >> maybe not throw it right in there. >> yeah, careful. >> gently deposit it. beauty. >> nice. >> now with the bread. >> so there's trael no secret here, bread, butter, hey. >> pretty much a match made in heaven. you can go with baguette, any kind of local bun that you have that's fresh, that's good. >> hi, how are you? >> everybody's here. >> how long does this stay in? >> that'll stay in for about 2, 2 1/2 minutes until it's cooked nice, crispy, golden brown. >> now we're going to make a

tartar sauce. something different in here which is arugula. >> i'm a lost cause. the menu's all over here. mayonnaise, you don't have to put it all in, but i like it nice and chunky, you've got pickles diced up, capers, shallots and anchovy, and you know, i want it to be -- >> chunky. >> very, very chunky. i might have went overboard here with the arugula. >> let's be honest, i have a little problem. but it's still, you know what? that's the beauty of cooking and this is how it works. >> ten seconds, tell us about the -- >> well, if you live in new orleans, you've got to have pecans, baby. and this is my mom's famous maple syrup pecan pie that's delicious, runny, gooey. >> thank you so much.

now your local news. >> this is wbal-tv 11 is in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. the orioles are gearing up for their first postseason game in years. they will play the texas rangers tomorrow. first pitch, 8:37 p.m. the tap -- tampa third baseman

evan longoria blasted three home runs.

>> great morning, a little on the humid side. if you sunbreaks, close to 80 for the hybrid a lot of clouds and some showers. there will be concentrated this morning.